The Lottery
Who hasn’t dreamed of winning the lottery? The idea of spending just a few dollars for one lotto ticket and winning millions is enough to make anyone want to play. When most people play the lottery, they sit and daydream about what they would do with the money if they were to win. Buying a big mansion, an expensive sports car, and never having to worry about money are things most people think about. Some people think about all of the things that they will buy for their loved ones when they have all the money in the world. Unfortunately, most people who play the lottery will never hit big. The odds of winning the lottery are very low, but people still play and pray anyway.
William Bowker
William Bowker is a 94-year-old retired Air Force pilot. He spent most of his life living in Salem, Oregon surrounded by his family. William is not only a father, but he is also a grandfather. After retiring, William enjoyed his time with his family and also playing the lottery. It didn’t cost him too much money to buy a lotto ticket, and he enjoyed the rush of checking his numbers to see if he won anything.
The Oregon Lottery
William preferred playing the Oregon Lottery. For just a few dollars, he could win a cash prize of millions of dollars. William says that he never bought the tickets hoping or expecting to win. He just enjoyed taking a chance each week. He played a few different lotteries, but the one he played most often was the Oregon Game Megabucks. He also played Mega Millions from time to time, but the Oregon Game Megabucks was his game of choice.
Help From His Granddaughter
William played the lottery one day, just like he did every week. His granddaughter was at his house the day after the numbers were drawn, and she offered to help him check his numbers. She grabbed a pen so that she could circle any matching numbers, but sadly, none of William’s numbers matched. He wasn’t too disappointed because he wasn’t really expecting to win, but then he noticed something that changed everything. Just as she was getting up to throw the losing ticket away, he stopped her. She had almost made a very costly mistake.
An Almost Costly Mistake
Just before William’s granddaughter got up to throw away the “losing ticket,” he realized that she was checking the Mega Millions winning numbers, and not the Oregon Game Megabucks numbers. When he told her she had made a mistake, she pulled up the Megabucks winning numbers online. She checked the numbers, and William had every single matching number He couldn’t believe it. It was the winner.
Sole Winner or Sharing the Prize
When William and his granddaughter discovered that he had every number correct, they had to figure out if he was the only winner, or if he would be splitting the pot with another winner. When his granddaughter did a quick Google search, she discovered that only one person had the winning number, and it was William.
William’s Winnings
The winning numbers that William chose, 14-32-41-43-44-47 were worth $6.5 million. He decided to take his winnings in one lump sum, which totaled $3.25 million, or $2.2 million after taxes. When asked what he would do with the money, he said that he is 94-years-old, and he has everything that he wants. He said that he would be using the money to help his loved ones.
Jackson’s Food Store
William bought his ticket at Jackson’s Food Store. When the news reached out to the store, Katrina Lemmon, the advertising and promotions manager for the store made a brief statement. She said, “Jacksons is thrilled for our customer to have won the lottery, and we are happy to be the retailer to sell the winning Oregon’s Game Megabucks ticket.”
Retired Air Force Pilot
Katrina also added that she was happy that it was a retired Air Force pilot who had won. He risked his life every day for his country. If anyone deserves to win, it is William.
No Hard Feelings
This 94-year-old veteran almost throws out lotto ticket before realizing he’s won $6 million. Fortunately, he caught it in time, and the ticket didn’t end up in the trash. He says that he has no hard feelings against his granddaughter. She had made a mistake, but he is still giving her a portion of his winnings. He says that he is just thankful that she comes around often to check up on him and keep him company. He says that each time he dreamed of winning the lottery, he dreamed of sharing the winnings with his loved ones. His dream came true.
